ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of laughter therapy on life satisfaction and loneliness in older adults living in nursing homes. DESIGN: A single-blind, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials NCT03687788) with a pretest-posttest design was conducted. METHODS: There were 31 experimental participants and 31 controls. The experimental group received laughter therapy twice a week for 6 weeks, along with usual care. The control group received usual care only. Loneliness was measured with the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, and life satisfaction was measured with the Satisfaction With Life Scale. FINDINGS: After 6 weeks, there was a statistically significant difference in De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale total score between the two groups, and the subscale scores of the experimental group decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Laughter therapy may reduce loneliness in older adults. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Healthcare professionals, especially nurses, can potentially use laughter therapy to reduce loneliness in older adults.
Subject(s)
Laughter Therapy/standards , Loneliness/psychology , Patient Satisfaction , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Laughter Therapy/methods , Laughter Therapy/psychology , Male , Nursing Homes/organization & administration , Nursing Homes/statistics & numerical data , Quality of Life/psychology , TurkeyABSTRACT
The purpose of this pilot study was to examine and evaluate the psychological and physiological effects of multiple sessions of laughter yoga on community members. Participants took part in a 45 min laughter yoga session once per month for 6 months. Before and after all sessions, participants completed the Profile of Mood States-Brief Japanese Version (J-POMS-B) questionnaire to assess their mood, and had blood drawn for the measurement of stress indicators and immune function. Serial changes in J-POMS-B scores were tested by three way analysis of variance, and changes in laboratory results per session were evaluated with a paired t-test. The results showed that repeated sessions of laughter yoga had psychologically beneficial effects, especially on the aspects of tension-anxiety, and vigor. Adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol values related to the participants' stress levels were significantly decreased after the fourth laughter yoga session. These results indicated that multiple laughter yoga sessions appeared to be effective in improving the psychological and physiological status of healthy adults.
Subject(s)
Laughter Therapy/standards , Yoga/psychology , Adult , Aged , Analysis of Variance , Female , Humans , Japan , Laughter Therapy/methods , Male , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Psychology , Stress, Psychological/prevention & control , Stress, Psychological/therapyABSTRACT
AIM: This study aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge available on the effectiveness of pre-operative clown intervention on psychological distress in children and parents. METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO databases were searched to identify relevant studies. Systematic review procedures were followed including a quality assessment. Meta-analysis of suitable studies was conducted. RESULTS: Eight studies were included; six reported that clown intervention reduced children's pre-operative anxiety, while one found that children's pre-operative distress levels were unchanged. Two studies suggested that clown therapy decreased parents' state anxiety, while three others found inconsistent results. No differences were found on parents' trait anxiety score. Meta-analysis of the available data confirmed that clown intervention has a great effect to reduce children's pre-operative distress (six articles, 341 children, Hedges' g = 0.867, 95% confidence intervals: 0.374-1.360, P = 0.001), and also had a small-to-medium effect on reducing parents' state anxiety (five articles, 329 parents, Hedges' g = 0.338, 95% confidence intervals: 0.112-0.564, P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: While significant variability existed between studies, the meta-analysis confirmed the effectiveness of pre-operative clown therapy on reducing psychological distress in children and parents. Larger randomised controlled trails and cross-cultural studies should be conducted to investigate the effectiveness of clown therapy in greater detail.
Subject(s)
Laughter Therapy/standards , Preoperative Period , Stress, Psychological/prevention & control , Wit and Humor as Topic/psychology , Child , HumansABSTRACT
Se explican los efectos de la introducción de talleres de risoterapia y relajación en una unidad de educación terapéutica y rehabilitación funcional, y se comprueba si su aplicación ayuda a disminuir el dolor, mejorar la movilidad y reducir el estado emocional alterado (ansiedad-depresión) del paciente(AU)
The authors explain the effects introducing workshops for laughter therapy and relaxation to a unit dedicated to therapeutic education and functional rehabilitation; the authors test to see if the application of this therapy hepls to decrease pain, to improve mobility and to reduce na altered emotional state, such as anxiety-depression, common among chronic pain patients(AU)
